The Sun. — London, England, 1864-04-29 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS—Last Evening, ROYAL COMMISSION. The following bills received the Royal assent by Com mission, viz,:--Consolidated Fund (£15,000,000)—Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes (Ireland)—Convey- ances (Ireland) Malt for Animals— Union Relief Aid Acts Continuance Warehousing of British Spirits—Hull Docks—Llanelly Railway and Docks — Newry and Greenmore Railway—Southwark Park— Folkstone Water—Matlock and Bath Water—MarPle New Mills and Hayfield Junction Railway—Chertsey Gas— Kingston-upon-Thames Gas—Southwark and Wreshall Water—Tunbridge Wells Water—Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway—Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway— Dover Gas—Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market— Caine Gas—lpswich Gas—and Swansea Vale Railway. The Lords - Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, Earl St. Germans, and the Duke of Argyll. Their Lordships adjourned during pleasure. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at five o'clock. REGISTRATION OF TITLES TO LAND. The Earl of LEINSTER presented a petition from the corporation of Dublin in favour of a bill to amend the law relating to the registration of titles to land. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The Wrexham Water, Lancashire and Yorkshire Rail way (additional powers), London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway (Kemp Town Station), North Eastern, Lancashire and Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire Railway Companies, and North Eastern Railway (Micklefield branch) were read a second time. The Herne Bay, Hampton, and Reculver Fishery, and Great Northern and Western (of Ireland) Railway Bills were read a third time and passed. INDIA. In reply to a question from the Earl of ELLENIIOBOII tea, Lord WO DEHOUSE said that no official information had been received from India in reference to the orders given as respects the disposal of the dead. Sir Charles Wood had received a private note from which it appeared that an order had been given, with the sanction of the Governor-General, to discontinue throwing dead bodies into the Ganges. Arrangements had been made to burn the bodies of those whose friends were too poor to do so themselves. It would be a great sani tary improvement. He further said that no resolution had been come to to change the seat of Government from Cal cutta to the upper provinces. PUNISHMENT OF RAPE BILL. On the motion that the bill do pass, Lord WODEHOUSE moved an amendment to one of the clauses, the effect of which was to make the punishment of whipping tkosa found guilty under the act discretionary with the judge, and not compulsory. After a short discussion their lordships divided, when there appeared— For the amendment 65 Against it Majority —3s The amendment was then agreed to, and the bill passed'. THE REGIUS PROFESSORSHIP OF GREEK (OXFORD) BILL. The LORD CHANCELLOR moved the second reading of this bill. The Earl of DERBY said he did not intend to oppose the bill, as he understood the University desired that it should pass. At the same time he entertained considerable objec tions to some of its provisions, especially to that which re quired the professorship to be held by a clergyman. If such a limitation had existed in bygone times, Professor Porson could never have held the appointment, and ho thought that the professorship of Greek was not one that could at all times be advantageously held by a clergyman. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH opposed the bill on the ground that it took away from the hard -working clergy one of the few rewards which bad hitherto been allotted to them, and applied to a peculiar secular object. The LORD CHANCELLOR, speaking in defence of the bill, observed that it was regarded as satisfactory by the University, who had accepted it as the best remedy for the painful scenes that had recently occurred. He had no ob jection to the insertion of a provision to the effect that, in the event of the University endowing the Greek professor ship to the amount of £6OO a year, the canonry he proposed to attach to the chair should be placed at the disposal of the University. The Earl of HARROWBY supported the bill. Earl GREY concurred with the Earl of Ellenborough, that it would be unwise to withdraw a valuable piece Of Church preferment from the position it had hitherto occu pied of being a reward for peculiarly clerical services. After a few observations from the Earl of Carnarvon, The Bishop of LONDON remarked that he had no doubt the clerical body would be always able to supply a gentle man fit to undertake the duties of the professorship; and he could only express a hops that all the canonries might be as well disposed of as being conferred upon a man who must necessarily be one of the most eminent Greek scholars of the day. The bill ran read a second time. The Joint-Stock Con - panies :(Foreign Countries) Bill was read a third time and paased ; and the Registration of County Voters (Ireland) Bill was read a second time. Their iordehipa then adjourned HOUSE OF COMMONS. ---Last Evenings The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a third time and passed : Bedford and Cambridge Railway, Ely, liaddenham, and Sutton Railway, Greenwich and South Eastern Docks, North Cheshire Water, Portmadoc and Beaver Pool Bridge Road, and the Scarborough Valley Bridge. ROYAL COMMISSION. Colonel CLIFFORD, the Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod, summoned the members to the upper house to hear the Royal assent given by commission to several bills, for which see Lords report. MEDICAL OFFICERS IN INDIA. In reply to Colonel SYKES, Sir C. WOOD said that he had received no circular from head-quarters addressed to British Army Medical officers in ladia, calling for volunteers for the new line corps and brigades of Royal Artillery, and he was not aware that there was any such document in existence, THE STATUE OF RICHARD CCEUR DE LION. In reply to Mr. HANIILEY ? _ _ Mr. COWPER said that the sculptor had sent in his design for the bas-reliefs for the base of the statue, and it was still under consideration. STANDARD OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Mr. LOCKE asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any communications have been received by her Majesty's Government from the Astronomer Royal and Comptroller General of the Exchequer as to the urgent necessity for an adjustment and reverifiaation of the Exchequer standards of weights and measures ; and, if so, the date thereof : Whether any steps have been taken for effecting such adjustment and reverification ; and if so, when the same will be completed : Whether any representations have been made with a view of re laxing the law against tradesmen for small de viations in their weights and measures until the standards have been adjusted and reverified. And, whether it is the intention of her Majesty's Government to submit any bill to Parliament this session in reference to the present state of the law relating to weights and mea sures. Mr. M. GIBSON said that a communication had been received on the subject from the Astronomer Royal in 1809. Since then a report had been mado by the committee ap pointed to inquire into the reverification of the national standard of weights and measures, and the subject was under consideration, but up to the present time no instructions had been issued on the subject. With regard to the last question, it was not considered advisable to introduce any bill imposing pains and penalties for infringement of the existing law. ROYAL COURT IN JERSEY. Mr. SCLATER-BOOTH asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he had any objection to produce the correspondence between himself and the Lieu tenant Governor of Jersey, relative to proposed alterations in the constitution of the Royal Court in that island. Sir G. G aEY replied in the negative. THE SHEFFIELD RESERVOIRS, itc. M r• VERRAND asked the Secretary of State for the H om e bapartment whether Mr. Rawlinson had sent in his report ey the state of the Sheffield reservoirs ; if so, whether he would lay it upon the table of the house ; if he had yet sent in his report on the Brad:ord reservoirs; end, if he had been en gaged in inspecting any other than the Shef field and Bradford reservoirs under the authority of the Home Office. - Sir G. GR EY repeated in substance the statement he had made on a previous occasion, to the effect that Mr Rawlinson had not Yet completed his report on the subject which he was endeavouring to make as perfect as possible. He (Sir G. Grey) could state, however, that there was no danger to be apprehended from the reservoirs at Sheffield and Bradford. NEUTRALITY IN CHINA. Mr. LI DDELL asked whether the attention of the law officers of the Crown had been directed to the report of a recent trial bCfore the Consular Court at Shanghae, at which a man named George White, charged as an accom plice in the capture of the Firefly steamer, was convicted and sentenced for a breach of the Hong K ong Neutrality Ordinance, No. 1, of 1855; and further, to a statement made on July 1, 1863, by the puke of Newcastle then Colonial Secretary, for the information of Ea r l R ussell, to the effect that there is no ordinance now in force enjoin ing the übiervance of neutrality by her Majesty's subjects d between th e con t en di ng par ti es i n china; and, m), whether that statement of the Duke of Newcastle was correct or in orrect ; and, if correct, whether the conviction of the said eorge White can be held to have been a legal conviction. The ATTORNE Y . -GENERAL said with regard to the first question, no authentic information had been received, and therefore he was unable to afford any information as to the circumstances connected with the case referred to; and that answer would apply to the last part of the question. There was ample provision made for the preservation of neutrality on the part of British subjects in the internal dissensions in China. CONFERENCE ON NORTH AMERICAN AFFAIRS. In reply to Mr. HOPWOOD, Sir G. GREY, in the absence of Lord Palmerston, sa:d, that the Government had no intention of proposing a confe rence on the affairs of North America, as there was no ground for any such proposal, and it was one to which he was quite satisfied the United States Government would not accede. THE NEW NATIONAL GALLERY. Mr. HEYGATE asked the First Commissioner of Works whether the scheme for erecting a new National Gallery at the rear of Burlington House, and which was last year stated by the First Commissioner of Works to "have been for a considerable time under the consideration of the Government," has yet been approved ; and, if not, to what national purposes it is proposed to devote the estate purchased for the nation in 1854, at a cost of £140,000, and now occupied by Burlington House and Gardens. Mr. COWPER said that the Government determined to propose an estimate for the erection of a gallery on the site in question. THE ARMY ESTIMATES. In reply to General PEEL, The Marquis of HAIL TINOT ON it would be impos sible to say the day on which tke army estimates would be brought on, but when the na:ey estimates were gone through. they would then be subrAitted to the housa. ITIE TUSCALOOSA. _ _ Mr. PEACOC - dE called attention to the case of the Tuscaloosa ; and to move the following resolution :—That the instt (lotions contained in the despatch of the Duke ‘..if Newcastle to Sir P. Wodehouse, dated the 4th day of November, 1863, and which remain still unrevoked, are :At variance with the principles of international law." The hon. member argued, from the dicta of Sir W. Scott and other learned jurists on questions of international law, that the Tuscaloosa was sufficiently clothed with the character of a man of war to exempt her from seizure under the Queen's proclamation, and that the commander of the Ala bama, who had captured her and converted her into a Con federate cruiser, had as much right to commission her in that capacity as a commodore. He charged the Govern ment with cowardice in evading the responsibility that rested only upon themselves, and endeavouring to cast it upon the shoulders of Sir P. Wodehouse. He complained that the instructions of November remained virtually un repealed, and called upon the house to demand their recall, for if we enforced them against one power we were bound to, enforce them against another; if we acted upon them in the case of a weak power we must do so in the case of a strong power. Supposing, then, we applied them against a strong power, the results must be to plunge the country into war; and if against a weak power, it would cover the country with intolerable shame. It was in the interest of peace that he invited the house to assist in obtaining a re vocation of these instructions; for as long as they stood unrepealed, they were at once a source of danger and disgrace. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL, in resisting the motion, observed that at present we were neutrals, but the day might arrive when we should become belligerents, exercising belli gerent rights, and when we were again in that position it might be that another armed neutrality was formed against us. It behoved the house, therefore, to think well before they furnished such an armed neutrality with weapons forged by themselves. The question was whether the Tus caloosa, when she entered Simines Bay. was still a prize to the Alabama, or had lost that character and assumed the new character of a vessel of war. There was no disputing that she was a prize ; that she had net been taken into any port of the Confederate States for the purpose of being ad judicated upon; and the evidence showed, moreover, that her supposed conversion into a confederate ship of war was a mere sham and pretence. Sir Baldwin Walker had no . doubt about her real character from the first ; but he was overruled by the opinion of the attorney-general of the Cape. She was, therefore, permitted to leave port , but upon her return, the instructions from the Duke of New castle having been received in the interval, her seizure was effected. With regard to the cases cited by Mr. Peacocke, they all applied to vessels which were bona fide armed and fitted out as vessels of war, which was not the case with the Tuscaloosa. He admitted on the part of the Government that, upon reconsideration, they did think that the instruc tions were not as full and explicit as they ought to have been had they been issued as a guide for colonial govern ments throughout the empire; but the despatch was not in the nature of a circular of that sort ; it was merely a com ment of the Colonial Secretary upon this particular trans action. The whole subject had received the serious atten tion of the Government, and instructions had been pre pared and would be sent by way of circular to the several colonial governors, so that hereafter these cases would present no difficulty, and a copy of these instructions would shortly be laid upon the table of the house. He trusted, then, that the house would not affirm tho proposition con tainee in the resolution. It was not necessary; it was useless; it would have no practical effect; and it might hereafter be attended with serious inconvenience and injury to the best interests of the country. Mr. WHITESIDE must deny the assertion of the Soli citor-General that there was no question of policy involved in this matter. True, there was a question of law, but there was also a question of policy, and a very interesting one too. On the perusal of this despatch, he was induced to ask himself how it was that such a despatch could have ema nated from the Government; but the answer wile, the war was gone against the South, and the North was on the eve of being successful. He called to mind the speech of Earl Russell at Blairgowrie, and the more satisfactory speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Newcastle-upon-Tyne; 1 but he recollected that the speech of the noble lord was the more recent of the two, He accepted the doctrine of the Solicitor-General that they were to have strict neutrality; but it was because the laws of neutrality had been most shamefully violated— (Opposition cheers)—because these transactions were indefensible—because his hon. and learned friends opposite knew they were indefensible, and because they themselves had corrected the very instructions laid down in this despatch of the 4th co November—that he stood there to protest against them. (Renewed Opposition cheers.) The facts of the case were very simple—there was nothing of a sham at all about it. But, as it appeared to him throughout, it was Admiral Walker who decided the law, and the lawyers who decided the facts. (Laughter.) In a word, Admiral Walker had entirely overruled the lawyers. Now, upon the 21st of Jnne, the day on which the Tusca loosa—then the Conrad—was captured, did the vessel be long to the captor or not? He might have burned it, he might have destroyed it in any way ; unless, indeed, they would apply a different law to the Confederate States from that upon which their own admirals and commanders had invariab'y acted. At the moment of capture the property in the ship was changed, and it became Captain Semmes's without the adjudication of any court of law. The next question was, had Capt. Semmes a lawful commission from the Confederate Government? But that was admitted by the Duke of Newcastle himself. Lastly came the ques tion„had he authority to grant a commission to the officer whom he placed on board the .Tuscaloosa ? Well, upon that point, Lord Stowell held that it was enough if an officer in command had only a semblance of such authority; it sufficed, in fact, if the commission which he granted was only, as it were, inchoate. Lord Stowell had decided that officers in command of even single ships might grant such commissions, and therefore the commander of the Alabama had authority to grant a commission to the commander of the Tuscaloosa. It followed from that that they could not inquire whether the ship was something different from what she appeared to be—that was to say, a ship in the legal employment of a belligerent power. The effect of that com mission was to change the character of the ship, to convert it from being a ship of commerce into a ship of war. He had great respect for seafaring gentlemen, but he denied that they were safe guides upon a question of law. What they ought to have done was to follow the advice given by the American consul to the authorities at the Cape; if they would not seize the Tuscaloosa as being the Conrad, they ought to have ordered her immediate departure from port. (Hear, hear.) Instead of that, however, they had allowed her to remain for seven days, and to take in provisions. The correspondence with the American Government sup plied the key to the course taken by Earl Russell ; and the despatch of the 29th of October showed what produced the instructions of the 4th of November. The hon. gentleman then, in humorous style, remarked upon the return of the Tuscaloosa to the Cape as a recognised ship of war, belong ing to a belligerent Power, and dwelt with some indigna tion upon the seizure of the ship, and the handing of her over to her former owner, the commander of the Alabama. Looking at the whole transaction from beginning to end, he submitted to the house this was a case in which they ought to affirm the resolution before them, for the purpose of pre venting international law from being violated in like manner in time to come, and that the law of neutrality might be hereafter acted upon towards all nations, whether North or South, Denmark or Germany, with impartiality, consis tency and justice. (Cheers.) Mr. J. J. POWELL opposed the motion, and said that if the Tuscaloosa had been a tender she would have had as much right to enter port as the Alabama herself ; but this was altogether a question of fact, and the fact was that, so far from her being a commissioned vessel and a tender to a man of war, she was only < olourably such, and passed under that character for purposes which would be in derogation of the Queen's proclamation against bringing prizes into English I.arhours. Sir J. ELPHINSTO NE complained that the Govern ment had throughout the American contest been actuated more by a spirit of hostility than of neutrality towards the Confederates. The motion was opposed by Mr. Lefevre, Mr. Neate, and Mr. Denman, and supported by Sir J. Hay, Mr. M. Smith, and Mr. Bovill. The ATTORNEY -GENERAL said he understood the hon. baronet to say that the words used by Admiral Sir B. Walker were equivalent to saying that the Tuscaloosa was under the command of one of the Alabama's lieutenants. At all events, it was subsequently shown that nothing was founded upon the supposition of there having been a com mission, His hon. and learned friend (Mr. Bovill) when he made the statement respecting Sir B. Walker, must have overlooked the despatch of that gallant officer written on the Bth August, when full particulars respecting the Tusca loosa had been obtained. Sir B. Walker said, " The admis sion of this vessel into port will, I fear, open the door for a number of vessels, captured under similar circumstances, being denominated tenders, with a view to avoid the `prohi bition contained in the Queen's instructions;" and farther on he said, " Viewirt, all the 'CiirittM`etinees of the case, they afford Toone for the ti4Position that the vessel is styled a tendor' With the object of avoiding the prohibition against her entrance as a prize into our ports, where, if the captors wished, arrangements could be made for the disposal of her valuable cargo, the transhipment of which might be readily effected on any part of the coast, beyond the limits of this colony." And although it did hot appear in the correspondence on this subject, it was well known that Sir B. Walker apprehended what did actually occur. When the Tuscaloosa went to Angra Pequina to deposit her cargo, she was followed by the colonial thip Saxon, and the result was a most unhappy ciechrreece, which led to the loss of the life of a British subject. With regard to the opinion expressed by the acting Attorney-General for the colony, that gentlem most able, upright, a ll - -who he might observe was a excellent public servant—was evi dently m- i 8-e into error by supposing that the passage he q u° te` / ... from Wheaton was applicable to this particular case. ne Governor of the Cape and Sir B. Walker of course acted upon the opinion given by the colonial Attorney-General, but the latter never changed his own opinion that the Tus caloosa was not a vessel of war. The rules laid down by positive statutes had no bearing whatever upon the rights of a neutral Power to vindicate the neutrality of his own territory in any manner he may think fit, whether by the restoration of the vessel to the owner or otherwise. The question involved was not one of law, but of discretion on the part of the neutral Power ; and he submitted that, although hon. members might reason from analogy if they pleased, the oases of the Exchange and the Santissinaa Trinidad, which had been referred to, were altogether foreign to the right possessed by every neutral sovereign to preserve inviolable the neutrality of his own territory. The house would see that it was altogether a fallacy to ascribe the character of a vessel of war to the Tuscaloosa when she first came into Simon's Bay. It was true that when she returned she had something like an armament and something like a commission; but the question which the house was called upon to consider was not what the Tuscaloosa was when she returned, but what was the state of the facts as they stood on the 4th of No vember. The hon. and learned gentleman then read the passage in the Duke of Newcastle's despatch, and said he had no wish to avoid any responsibility which might attach to it ; for although it was true the law officers had suggested that the matter was one worthy of serious consideration, and although they might wish that the form in which the instruction was conveyed had not been so short and little developed—(Opposition cheers)—yet he accepted the full responsibility of it, and maintained that the principle in volved in the instruction was not opposed to international law. No one disputed the proposition that as between bel ligerents and belligerents there were no rights whatever under such circumstances: The capture was good, provided the neutral Power did not interpose to vindicate its autho rity ; but where it did so interpose it was the invariable practice that the neutral Power restored the property to the original owner. The house would recollect that, when in the fight against Lagos, our navy, engaging the enemy in Portuguese waters, captured several of his ships. Lord Chatham told our Minister at Lisbon to make every apology possible to satisfy the dignity of the Portuguese Govern ment, but on no account to give back one of the captured ships. But in any case of a capture by a neutral Power, it was the practice to restore the prize to the original owners. He quite agreed that the United States consul was entirely at sea in this matter, and that there was no foundation fur the doctrine that the right of the original owner to have the prize restored proceeded from the circumstance of its not hav ing been condemned in a prize court. It was quite plain, on reference to precedents, that the principle laid down in this despatch was not opposed to the principle of interna tional law, although it might be open for discussion whether a less strong course would not have met the difficulties of the occasion. He maintained, however, that, according to every principle of international law the doctrine laid down was justifiable. But had Sir P. Wodehouse construed his instructions differently, he had no hesitation in saying he would have been well borne out. Good faith and honour required that the Tuscaloosa ought to be released, and when good faith and honour were under consideration, would any one say that anything should be permitted to let or hinder them ? (Hear, hear.) He regretted exceedingly that those circumstances should have occurred, but at the same time he warned the house that to affirm that the principles laid down in that despatch were contrary to international law, would be affirming that all parties in time of war had a right to set aside the orders of a territorial sovereign, and not only on the high seas, but in the territory itself, to say they could violate the principles of international law with impunity. (Cheers.) He therefore pressed upon the attention of the house that their object should be to maintain those princi ples of neutrality for which this country stood pre-eminent before the world. (Cheers.) Sir 11. CAIRNS said he was glad the Attorney-General had told the house that they were not required to affirm the conduct of the Government in these transactions; for he believed no member of the house, not oven the Attorney- General, who was as bald as any one in the house—not even the Solicitor-General, who was not quite so bold—would say these transactions had been characterised by wisdom. (Cheers.) With respect to the Tuscaloosa, he should have thought that the be: t person to pronounce an opinion was the United States consul, who, he found, on the 10th of August, when the Governor and Sir Baldwin Walker were puzzling themselves on the point, wrote to Governor Wodehouse, saying that an armed vessel called the Tusca loosa had entered Simon's Bay ; that she was formerly a merchant vessel in the service of the United States, but, while engaged in lawful commerce, was captured by the Alabama, and was subsequently fitted out to prey on the commerce of the United States. (Hear.) Another natural course to have taken would have been to ask the comman der of the Tuscaloosa if she were a commissioned ship; but it was not until she arrived a second time that it oc curred to the authorities at the Caps that it would be a desirable thing to ask whether she had a commission or not. Thus, when they did not know whether she had a commission or not they let her alone, but when they knew she had a commission they seized her. (Opposition cheers,) As soon as her Majesty's Government knew that she was seized orders were sent to release her. The proper course to have taken on finding that a mistake had been com mitted was to restore the ship, explain the mistake that had been made to the Confederate captain ; and apologise to him for what was a gross and palpable insult. But what was the course taken ? In a letter of the 10th of March, the Duke of Newcastle said, " Her Majesty's Govern ment have therefore come to the conclusion that, under the special circumstances of this particular case, the Tuscaloosa ought to be released, with a warning, however, to the cap tain of the Alabama that the ships of war of belligerents are not to be allowed to bring ships of war into British ports, and it was left to her Majesty's Government to de cide to what class those vessels belonged." Her Majesty's Government had decided that. (No, no, and Opposition cheers.) The hon. and learned gentleman proceeded to argue that in a cue in which we had been so clearly in the wrong as in that of the Tuscaloosa, it was our duty not only to make restitution, but apology and indemnity. Instead of doing that, her Majesty's Government had only written a despatch directing their subordinates to return the ship. If we had been dealing with the Federals instead of with the Confederates, a different course would have been taken. That might be neutrality, but it in no way deserved the name, because it consisted in doing all the mischief they could to one belligerent as long as they could, and then making an ungracious, churlish apology, without any defence, and restoring property they were afraid any longer to keep. The motion was altogether beside the Tuscaloosa; it referred to those instructions which he understood the law officers to justify, but which, if unrepealed, might land us at any time in a war, not only with one of the belligerents, but with any of the neutral Powers of Europe. Quoting the proclamation of neu trality issued at the outbreak of hostilites, the hon. and learned gentleman said that it merely warned the bellige rents that they were not to bring their prizes into our colonial ports, end that if after such notice they seized prizes with the intention of restoring them to the original owners, it would be a gross violation of good faith and international law. He pointed out an inconvenience of such a course in regard to neutrals, in dept iving the original owner of a cap tured prize of the opportunity of going to the prize -courts of the captor, and there recovering his ship, with costs and damages, if improperly seized. The neutral owner, he held, would then have a claim upon us for costs and damages, which, if refused, might lead to war with the neutral nation to which he belonged. The fact was, that " Wheaton's Elements" negatived the idea that her Majesty's Govern ment had the right they contended for. As, however, the law officers of the Crown maintained that the instructions were in accordance with international law, it behoved the house to take the matter up, and to declare that the instruc tions sent by the Duke of Newcastle to Sir P. Wodehouse, and which were still in force, were at variance with the prin ciples of international law. (Loud ana continued cheering.) The house then divided. The numbers were— For the motion Against Majority The resolution was accordingly lost; and the house went into committee of supply pro forma, and immediately re sumed. In committee on the Customs and Inland Revenue Bill, DUTY ON GRAIN. Mr. CRAWFORD moved a proviso at the end of clause 2, for protecting the rights of the mayor and commonalty of London with regard to the duty chargeable upon grains entering the port of London. Mr. AYR I ON opposed the introduction of such a pro viso as an attempt to keep up the claims of an antiquated corporation of levying duty on grains entering the port of London. The claim to levy such a duty had been con demned by successive committees. After some discussion, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER recom mended the hon. member for London to withdraw his pro posal, and to endeavour to protect the privileges of his con stituents by separate legislation. Mr. CRAWFORD adopted the suggestion. New clauses were added, and the bill passed through committee. The Court of Chancery Despatch of Business Bill was read a third time and passed. The Local Government Supplemental Bill and the Pro- ME SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 20, 1864. rnissory Notes and Bills of Exchange (Ireland) Bill was read a second time. Mr. VILLIERS obtained leave to introduce a bill to amend the Uuion Assessment Committee Act. The house adjouned at 10 minutes past 2 o'clock, Stratford•on-Avon Tercentenary FestivaL STRAVORD-ON-AVON, Thursday Evening. As the week progresses the entertainments at the Pavilion increase in attraction, and yesterday a larger audience than that of Tuesday attended the theatrical performance. Those who in the earlier days came hither from some little distance must have taken home with them marvellous reports of the magnificence of the temporary building, and the manner (to rural eyes grand beyond precedent) in which everything is done, and probably the curiosity of remoter Warwickshire will have reached its height just when the entertainments have come to a close. However, though to-morrow is the last day men tioned in the original programme, there are to be two extra theatrical nights at reduced vices, on Tuesday and Wednesday, under the superintend ence of Mr. Creswick, and the interval is to be Ailed up with miscellaneous entertainments. The programme of yesterday evening was also singularly inviting. "Romeo and Juliet" is one of the plays which in the mind of the multitude is most intimately associated with the name of Shak apere. This, though his plays were more than 30 in number, can be only predicated of about six or seven, and I do not believe that Mr. Phelps, with all his meritorious revivals of the lees familiar of the poet's works, ever succeeded in making one permanent addition to the Shaksperian repertory, even at Sadler's Wells, where all his proceedings were watched in a spirit of faith. The typical plays, recognised by everybody, gentle or simple, are " Hamlet," " Othello," " Macbeth," " King Johu," the "Merchant of Venice," "Romeo and Juliet," "King Lear," and perhaps "Henry V." Cibber's "Richard III." would once have stood high on this list, intimately associated as it was with Garrick, G. F. Cooke, and Edmund Kean, bat of late years its tenure of the stage has been uncertain, and it proved one of the least suc cessful of Mr. Charles Kean's revivals at the Prin cess's, although Glater was one of his favourite characters in his earlier days. As for Shakspere's "Richard III.," it is a work altogether unknown to the mere playgoer, every attempt to revive it having proved abortive. "Julius Caesar" departed with the Kembles. To the curiosity respecting the tragedy may be added that respecting the tragedienne. The War wickshire people had not only heard of Mademoiselle Stella Colas as a young and beautiful French artist whose Juliet had charmed all London,but they were prepared to receive her as a benefactress who had come forward to help the committee over the most formidable stile encountered on the thorny path of preparation. The same feeling was entertained towards Mr. George Vining, the manager of the company of which she is a member, who, as soon as the wreck of Hamlet on the Fechterian strand had been definitively ascertained, had offered to repair the loss of one tragedy by the production of another, and a comedy into the bargain. The wrong and the reparation were clear to any person who entered the Pavilion, for the tickets still bore the title of " Hamlet," while the programme still declared that Mr. Fechter, "after his repeated pledges to them to put Hamlet' on the stage, had at the eleventh hour withdrawn from his engagement," and that Mr. Vining had kindly undertaken to produce " Romeo and Juliet" and the " Comedy of Errors." Hence the applause that greeted the French actress and the English manager was vigorous and hearty. I give, as before, the official playbill : In the Evening, at 7 o'clock, Shakspere's Tragedy of " Romeo and Juliet," and the " Comedy of Errors," will be represented by the follow ing distinguished Artistes : "ROMEO AND JULIET." Prince Esealus Mr. Robins Friar. LawreneeMr. Forester Paris Mr. Brooke Apothecary ..Mr. Cathcart Montague Mr. Lickfold Peter Mr. D.Fisher Capulet .. Mr,H.Mellon Balthazar ....Mr.Chap wan Romeo Mr. J. Nelson ! Abram Mr. Tresider Mercutio ....Mr. Vining Samson Mr. Tapping Tybalt Mr. C. Seyton Gregory ..Mr. Allen Lady Capulet.... Miss Staff.,rd Juliet urse After which will be performed, "THE COMEDY OF ERROaS," From the text of Shakspere. The new and splendid scenery by Messrs, F. Lloyds, Fenton, Hann, and Gray. N.B.—The scenery has been so arranged that the Act drop will not descend during the performance of the piece. Solinus (Duke of Ephesus) Mr Robins. )Egeon (a Merchant of Syracus) Mr H Mellon, Antipholus of Ephesus Antipholus of Syracuse Mr Vining (Twin Brothers and Sons to 26geon and lEmilis, but unknown to each other.) Dromio of Ephesus Mr Hy, Webb Dromio of Syracuse Mr Charles Webb, (Twin Brothers and Attendants on the Antipholi.) Balthazar Angelo A Merchant Dr. Pinch Officer .. Mr Tresider lEmilia (Wife to 2Egeon, an Abbess at Ephesus.) Adriana .. Miss Caroline Carson (Wife to Antipholus of Ephesus.) Luciana (her sister) ~.. Miss Helen Howard Lucy (her servant), Miss Sidney Lesbia Miss Emma Barnett Officers, Lords, Merchants, Male and Female Citizens Executioner, Nuns, Attendants, &e. Stage Manager .. Mr George Ellis The order of the above was reserved, the "Comedy of Errors" being played before the tragedy. Con densed into one act, this curious farce, written in Shakapere's earliest manner, has proved one of the greatest successes at the Princess's Theatre, partly on account of the extraordinary likeness and equally extraordinary humour of the brothers Webb, who represent the Dromios, partly on ac count of the very beatltiful scenery and costumes, t e brothers Webb but the by which it i s ren d ere d a per f ect gem o f stage pro duction. Not only h whole of the sce ner y h a d b een b roug ht to Stratford, and among the m an y il l ustrations of modern rapi dity of locomotion may be mentioned the fact that the very scenes which were used at Oxford - street, London, on Tuesday night, . g, were employed at Strat ford-on-Avon yesterdl e vening, and will be seen again at Oxford-street this evening at seven. To accommodate the decorations brought from the dif ferent London theatres, the stage of the Pavilion is provided with slidin g grooves. The audience was charmed with the beauty of the pictures and the drollery of the brothers Webb , whose angular gesti cu l a ti ons an d grotesque ap pearance are quite in keeping with the extrava gent character of th e piece. The "Comedy of Error s " is just one of those pl ays i n w hi c h the mirror is not held up to nature, an d t h e M essrs . Webb, by mak. ing the strange twins look like two odd m e die val figures, such as mi g h t b e f oun d i n the , illustrations of Strutt's " Sports an d P ast i mes ," not only amuse the audience by con stantly prese nting a couple of droll objects, but give an antiquarian qu aintness to the representation. Wh en i n the last scene the Dromios met and gape d a t eac h other, standing in precisely the same attitude, and reminding the spec tator of the odd masks that exchange grins from corresponding points in a cathedral, the shout of mirth and surprise was overwhelming. By the performance of Juliet, Mademoiselle Colas has done much to confirm tier high London reputa tion. Her foreign accent has greatly diminished since her appearance last year, and in some short sentences is scarcely to be detected at all. The girlish naivete in the balcony scene, the pretty coax ing of the old nurse, as usual, fascinated all be nolders ; but, of course, the electrifying passage was tht soliloquy in the fourth act, especially the part in which she imagines the presence of Ty balt's ghost and follows it as if it were a visible object. Mr. George Vining gave a spirited interpretation of Mercutio, based on Mr. Charles Kemble's principle of so suiting the action to the word that the descrip tion of Queen Mab becomes a succession of distinct impersonations. Mrs. Marston very ably represented the Nurse, being perfectly acquainted with all the traditions of this most telling character, which she coloured with the vigour of the old school. Mr. J. Nelson looked exceedingly well as Romeo. At the Princess's the acting version of the tragedy, commonly used till within the last few years, has been revived, on account of the additional oppor- tunity given to the lovers in the 1E1 , 4 scene, This was, of course, transported to Stntford, and; as the Messrs. Chambers' conscientious and elegant re print of the play, according to Knight's text, was sold about the Pavilion, some of the audience must have been not a little puzzled. What, for instance, had become of Rosaline ? This aft9rnoon a concert of instrumental music and glees, conducted by Messrs. Coote and Stockley, was given at the Shakspere Rooms. One of the pieces was the following Ode by Mr. J. Brougham, set to music by Mr. Alfred Mellon : " What shall his crown be ! not the laurel leaf That blood besprinkled decks the warrior's head, Who grasps at glory, as destruction's chief, A living monument to thousands dead, Bequeathing one vast legacy of grief. Some pest incarnate, fed with human life, Born of ambition or the lust of strife In regal coronet shall we proclaim Him Monarch ! That would circumscribe his worth ; A kingly diadem would only shame The kinglier thought, whose realm is the whole earth. Such petty vanities but mock his fame. Profane it not. He i 9 all crowns above, Hero of Peace, Evangelist of Love," The concert, it is needless to say, was on a far smaller scale than the entertainments at the Pavi lion, but it seems to have given satisfaction. At the Town-hall, besides the collection of works of art, a bazaar is held, wherein trinkets symbolical of Shakspere are daily vended. Here, too, may be seen a loom in full work, making the triple badges, which it in hore the fashion to wear at the button-hole. On these badges, which are manu factured by Messrs. MuHoney and Johnson, of Coventry, are marked the " Chandos " portrait of Shakspere, a view of the birthplace, and another of the church. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—In rejecting Mr. Lindsay's motion for the construction of Harbours of Refuge on Tuesday night, the House of Commons was only exercising the same prudent but unwelcome revision of belie. volent but hasty conclusions which has constantly to be exercised by every private gentleman. Six i years ago the house had been asked in the most n. nocent and natural way in the world whether it would not grant money for the construction of more Harbours of Refuge. It was, of course, supposed that the house knew very well how great a benefit they would be. The house had learnt, in quite as touching terms as Mr. Lindsay used on Tuesday, the amount of ssving in lives and properly which would be effected if ships could always find somewhere to eo to whenever they were in danger of being wrecked; so that question was supposed to be settled, and the committee were only asked toin quire " into the policy of making further grants et . public money" for so admirable a purpose. The committee were modest, and proposed that the house should grant only part of the sum required—say a million and a half, only an annual surplus—and get the remaining two millions and a half supplied by local contributions or repaid by tolls upon shipping using the harbours . This was, as it were, just break ing the expense to the house; but the . committee proposed a Royal Commission to determine the beat places for the harbors, and the commission took courage, and, as Sir Stafford Northcote mildly puts it, " threw aside that part of the recommendations of the committee that a considerable portion of theex pense for these harbours should be defrayedin some way by a charge upon shipping." Or, as the charge upon shipping would be the only source to which most of these places could look for obtaining the requisite money, they practically proposed that the whole charge, amounting by the confession of the Com mittee, to four millions, should be borne by the country. This was in 1859. In 1860 the House was asked to ratify the easy promises into which it thus seemed half betrayed ; its impulsive genero sity had been too recent for it to withdraw at once from its hasty consent ; and it actually pas4ed a re solution calling upon Government to carry into effect the recommendations of the Royal Commis sion. However, the Government had to raise money .. and to propose Budgets, and very naturally dropped a suggestion which would have saddled each Budget with at least a quarter of a million. So in 1862 the interested parties began to think they must remind the authorities again, and proposed a motion to enforce the former resolution of 1860; but by this time the House bad found leisure to turn round and think about in Tnere had been a great deal of talk about sums like a quarter of a million, and it re solved by 115 to 77 not to go any further in the matter. After this the Government could not pos sibly be expected to stir; so on Tuesday Mr. Lind. say thought it necessary to make one more decided appeal, and the House, therefore, being brought to bay, had to say by a majority of 142 to 84 that it believed the whole proposal to he based on a mere illusion, that Harbours of Refuge would be only of the sliehtest possible use to our shipping, that they would probably serve no other purpose but to sink masses of stone and quantities of money, and perhaps afford Sir Walter Crofton, or some other experimentalist on ticket-of-leave-men, an opportunity for "employing convict labour ;" that the cost would be at the least £10,000,000 or £12,000,000, instead of £4,000,000, and that, in short, it could not hear of it, and would not do it. It is obvious that the House could not hold itself in any way bound to so vast an ex penditure upon the recommendation of two bodies which had practically begged the main point in dispute. The subsequent investigation of the Board of Trade had enormously diminished the argument in favour of harbours of refuge. A memorandum issued by the Board seems, for th e fi rs t t i me , to h ave brought before the House an accurate analysis of the probable value to shipping of these harbours, and it was commented on with the chagrin which was only natural in the gentlemen who found their fancies so completely exposed by its facts. Of course it is easy, es Mr. Lindsay did, to describe " in touching terms" the enormous loss in men and money which is usually incurred by shipwrecks, but the sole question as to harbours of refuge is what proportion of this loss would be averted by their existence, and whether the proportion would be sufficient to justify such an outlay. Now, from the total number of wrecks the report in question very properly eliminates all cases in which ships are lost in a gale of wind in which they founder at sea, and in which their loss may be attributed to bad seamanship or to collisions. It is obvious that some of these causes would be wholly unin fluenced by harbours of refuge, and though loss of lite from other causes might be occasionally averted by the nearness of a harbo ur , y et t h ey are causes in themselves controllable, and the nation cannot possibly be expected to spend mil lions of money in preventing the consequences of mere carelessness. In analyzing from time to time the annual Wreck Returns we have often taken occasion to d we ll on anot h er f requent cause of shipwrecks, which i n th e same way cannot claim any consideration from the p u bli c. W e re f er to the notorious unseaworlhiness of many ships engaged in or home trad e . M r . Mil ner G i b son pointed out , i onTuesday night that the majority of ships lost on tlacEast Coast were colliers 30, 50, and even 90 years old, and most of these were lost at a considerable distance from the coast. One of the most remark able results of Mr. Gibson's analysis is the fact that out of 570 persons drowned last year 180 were lost on the East Coast when the wind was from the west, so that harbours of refuge couid have been no pos sible use to th em . A n ill ustrat i on to the same effect is furnished by the recent lamentable destruction of Yarmouth fishing boats. They were all lost at sea, and a Government gunboat was sent to search for them in the open sea. These little vessels could hardly ever make a harbour in a heavy gale, and Admiral Fitzroy's s i gna l s i n prevent i ng their ven turing out when there is danger, will do much more for them than Harbours of Refuge. As for our great shipping, the else of the Royal Charter, so unfortu nately instanced by Sir John Pekington, is a suffi cient illustration of th e use w hi ch such ships would be likely to make of these harbours. The Royal Charter was on her way up the Channel to Liver pool, and when the gale came on in which she was lost she was near Holyhead, and if she had made for the harbour she would probably have escaped. But she had to make a quick passage, and she pressed on for her destination, and met her fate. These magnificent ships would only enter Harbours of Refuge i n except i ona ll y severe gales. In point of fact, harbours would resolve themselves into mere conveniences for the inferior shipping, and that is not an object for national expenditure. When the advantages to be gained by the proposal have been reduced to such insignificant proportions, it may seem sup er fl uous to urge any further objec tions, but it is worth while to indicate the sort of expense with which it is proposed to saddle the country for so futile an object. On this point, it is sufficiently suggestive that in one instance the Corn nsittee's estimate for two particular harbours was £20,000 each, whereas the Commission subse quently estimated the expense at £50,000 in one case, and £75,000 in the other : and, after our ex perience at Ramsgate and elsewhere, few persons will doubt that, if the original estimate was £4,000,000, we might think ourselves lucky if it stopped within £10,000,000. Let any one esti mate the effect of that sum spread over ten years upon the taxation of the country, and then estimate the audacitysof the proposal to burden the whole community to that extent for the uncertain chance of saving a small portion of the national shipping. As to the main expense being borne by the places at which the harboth's are to be constructed, it is perfectly idle to talk abtei.tt it; If the harbours are to be of any use, they ought td constructed, not at points adapted for seats of commerce or among centres of trade, out in the neighbourhood tef dan gerous coasts, where nothing would ever create a trade, and where, therefore,there is no money to be obtained. The only alternative is that originally proposed by the Committee, and embodied in Sir , Stafford Northcote's amendment—to raise the money by tolls on shipping. As, however, the shipowners are confessedly opposed to the proposal, they would, of course, avoid the harbours ss much as possible, and by rejecting Sir Stafford Northcote's amend ment by a still larger majority than the original motion, the House expressed its conviction that the plan of levying the money by passing tolls would be impracticable. The whole expense would in the end have to be borne by the country. Supposing, moreover, that the construction of these harbours would be the boon it is represented to the shipping trade, and that a part of the money could be ex torted from the rocks and stones of a place like Wick, it would still be contrary to all our princis pies of commercial legislation to vote millions of money for the protection of a trade from the dangers which are inseparable from its prosecution. If, as Mr. Lindsay argues, the expenses of these Har bours of Refuge would be more than reimbursed by the amount of capital they would save, let the ship ; ping trade, in their own interest, construct these , r harbours on their own account. If they reply that they cannot command the vast capital such a work would require, let them ask the Government for loans at a fair rate of interest. Mr. Milner Gibson points out that this has already been done to a con siderable extent in many cases. A bill was passed by the Government to enable them to assist Harbour Commissioners for this very purpose, and under its provisions nearly a million has already been granted, and a further quarter of a million has been applied for. It is, however, further alleged that shipowners prefer to cover their own risks by insurance, and that while they can protect them selves in this way they are indifferent to the security of their crews and passengers. If this could be made out, which we do not believe, it might follow that Parliament ought to compel the shipowners to perform their duty to their servants and the public, but it would by no meansfollow that it ought to take the duty off their hands. No one undervalues the lives of our merchant sailors or our sea-travelling countrymen. but that consideration is beside the question. It is often the duty of the Legislature to provide, as in the case of railways, that a trade shall take pro l er precautions to insure the safety of the public by which it lives, but it is never the duty of a Legislature to take those precautions itself. All that Parliament can possibly be ex pected to do is to enfeece such rules as may provide hat any trade or craft does not pursue its own in terests too grossly to the neglect of the public safety and public rights. Above all, it is tl'e business of the trade itself to provide for its own ins crests and security. All that can be done is to give it a tem porary help, and this the shipping trade is offered by the Act we have referred to. But to carry out Mr. Lindsay's proposal would be to give a bonus to the shipping interest which no other branch of trade or commerce has ever had the assuranco to ask for. HERALD.—The House of Commons took up last night the theme which engaged the House of Lords on Tuesday. Mr. Peacocke gave the law officers of the Crown a direct challenge to defend the in structions emanating from them by virtue of which the Tuscaloosa was seized, to be released soon after because the seizure was found to be perfectly un justifiable, The challenge could not be evaded, and both Solicitor and Attorney-General stood up to admit that the instructions were not so full and ex plicit an they ought to have been, to declare that fresh instructions for colonial governors were under consideration, but that the point was so nice that no decision had yet been come to about them, and in the same breath to defend the instructions already issued as being perfectly in accordance with the rules of international law, and contend that neither Sir Baldwin Walker nor the authorities at home could have acted in any other manner. "We did wrong, but we were quite right," that is the argu ment which the legal advisers of the Government have the courage to address to the House of Com mons, accepting in their own excuse precisely the pitiful plea of Earl Russell on Tuesday, that whether Sir B. Walker acted according to law or not, he was justified in all his proceedings, because "common sense" urged that they ought to be legal. This is the substance of the argument of law officers who took upon themselves to deprecate the discussion of the question on the ground that it was extremely improper for the House, influenced as it probably would be by party motives, to pronounce an opinion upon a question of international law. Ph;sicians, heal yourselves. Could there be a more scandalous example of party feeling distorting men's judgmeots than this attempt of two gentlemen occupying a position of immense responsibility to vindicate what they knew to be wrong in order to serve the inte rests of the party with which they are connected ? Talk of a perversion of judgment from party pre judice ; we had that perversion, to use the mildest possible term, exhibited last night by the Attorney and Solicitor-General to an extent happily seldom paralleled. It is the policy of the Government—its necessity, perhaps—to grovel before the Federals. To conciliate them it must ' whilst professing to be neutral in the conteel, violate all the rules of neu trality and law in their favour; and, unfortunately for the honour of a professio2 which has been wont to supply guardians of the law, it has found legal advisers who are eager to assist it in this dirty work, and devote all their ingenuit; to discover excuses for the perversion of the law. Sir . Roundell Palmer and Sir R. P. Collier seem to ce'usider themselves advocates retained upon behalf of the Administration, and to hold it as their sole duty to make out a case for their clients—to have, in fact, precisely the same obligations as the gentlemen who are engaged to defend a culprit at the Mid dlesex sessions. That was not the view which their predec,?ssors took of their functions; it is not the constitt:tional view of the offices of Attorney and s c ,ii,:tor General. No doubt the h Government finds it extra aely inconvenient that cus this question should be ch.: sad. We can readily understand that very devotL f wishes have been offered up in Cabinet Councils, and in more secret conclaves, that the Tuscaloosa ha,.' been " farther"—from the Cape of Good Hope or at:v British possession. But the convenience of the Government is not the law of the house, and Earl Russell has most emphatically laid it down that no argumentunz ab Ineonvenienti can b , 3 offered in bar to a just contention. The convenience of flee Go vernment is not the concern of the House of Com mons, which has to watch that no injustice be perpetrated, or if the injustice should be done to enforce redress for it, or at least prevent its recur rence. We agree with the Solicitor General that such a question should be approached in a judicial spirit, apart from any sympathies which may be entertained on the one aide or the other; and the violation of this rule is just the complaint we make against her Majesty's Government and her law officers. They never have approached this question, or any one of the other questions between Federals and Confederates, in a judicial and impartial spirit. They have always been governed by their preju dices, and instead of holding the balance even and maintaining the law, they have done their utmost to win the favour of the Federals, and have scan dalously perverted the law with that purpose. The very speech which the Solicitor General prefaced with this appeal to an impartial and judicial exa mination is a rank specimen of partiality, partisan ship, and distortion of the law to serve party in terests. Haw inconvenient Mr. Peacocke s resolu tion was deemed by the Government was shown clearly by the mean attempt to count the house out. Mr. Mackinnon, who undertook this honourable piece of business, is one of the most devoted fol lowess of the Government, and the rumour has been circulated by its own organs that he is to receive the reward of his zeal in a peerage. Such are the services to their country of the men whom the'Whigs raise to Vie Upper House. There can be no doubt, therefore, that a count out was planned by the Government. It failed ; but the absence of many of the members of the Opposition at the division saved them the censure they so richly deserved. The result, however, cannot be claimed by them as a victory. They were only excused because they confessed that they had done wrong, and promised to behave better for the future. COMPLIMENT FOR COMPLIMENT.—In gratitude for the English reception of Garibaldi, a grand demonstra tion and serenade took place on the 19th, at Genoa, before the house of the British Consul. Persons who have been in the habit of paying weekly as borrowers of Sewing Machines will do well to apply at once and become members of Messrs. Watts and Co.'s Sewing Machine Clubs. By so doing they will not only save the money they now foolishly throw away, but at the same time secure to themselves the possession of one of the best and most celebrated sewing machines in the werld. Every in formation given on application; or by letter addressed, with a stamped envelope, to Messrs. Watts and Co., 12, Beaufort buildings, Strand, London, W.C., where mem rs are en rolled daily between 10 and 4 ; Saturdays, 10 ant 1 [ADVERTISEMENT.]—HoIIoway's Pills.—Excellent Re vivers.—The resources of medicine and !chemistry were long and fruitlessly tried before they yielded a remedy which could overcome disorders of the stomach - and nerves, till Professor Hollows) , discovered his purifying and tonic Pills. They are the safest and surest correctives of indi gestion, heartburn, flatulency, torpidity of the liver, twitch ings, nervous fancies, despondency, low spirits, and de clining strength. Holloway's Pills supersede all erroneous actions in the body, and so strengthen and support the system, that disease departs, and leaves the patient little, if at all, shaken. This is the grand aim and object of medical art—to regulate disordered functions without damaging the constitution by the remedy; sad :admirably is this end attained by Holloway's Fills. LAW INTEL. LIGENCE-April 28, COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH. (Sittings in Banca before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn, and Justices Blackburn, Mellor, and Mee. IN THE MATTI:g - OF LEVI, AN ATTORNEY, &C. This case, which wae' an application to strike an attorney off the rolls, on account ,of alleged malpractice as to certain L of costs in a n action which had , su bpoenas and items of a b been' conducted by him, ha. been referred to the Master , who no*'reported that althot.'gh grave suspicion attached to Mr. Levi, hi was not brought home to him that he had any knowledge of the matter of .the subpoenas; nor was it made out that he had any share ir. the malpractice as to conduct-money, which had been paid' by a clerk. The court confirmed the report, refuOing the application to strike Mr Levi off the rolls, but ordelini7 the costs to 1;f. borne equally by both parties. THE QUEEN V. "THE PORCUPIN E." Mr Crompton Hatton moved for a rule for a criminal. information against the editor of this 'Jape:, which is published in Liverpool, for an alleged libel contained in it against Mr. Robertson Gladstone, a justice of the peace of that borough. The alleged libel was contained in two articles and some doggerel verses, which imputed to Mr Gladstone his having acted with spite against a Mr M.‘Gowan, an attorney, who appeared before the bench. The articles and verses were of a ludicrous nature (it being alleged that "another gentleman was a mere joint in Mr. Gladstone's tail"). The Court said that it was not a case. for a criminal information, it being merely an exaggerated comment on a public man on a matter of public interest. The rule was therefore refused. IN THE MATTER OF T. X. PATER, ESQ. The lion. George Denman, Q.C., moved for a rule for a. a certiorari to remove an order made at the Quarter Ses sions of Middlesex, held in March la st. The learned coun sel moved on behalf of Mr. Pater, a barrister, who, it may be remembered, was fined X2O for alleged contempt of court. Mr. Pater being engaged in the defence of a prisoner before Mr. Payne, the deputy judge, objected to the course taken by the prosecutor's counsel, upon which the fore man of the jury interposed, and said—" We know what the object of that is." Mr. Pater made another objection to the mode of examination adopted by the prosecutor's counsel, when the foreman again interposed, saying that counsel had no right to impute falsehood to a witness; to which Mr. Pater replied that it would be botter for the foreman not to come into collision with him. This interference was unchecked by the Court. In his address to the jury Mr. Pater made use of the following words : " I thane God that there is more than one juryman, for if there were only one, and he the foreman, I know what the verdict would be.'' Mr. Payne immediately re buked the counsel, and called upon him to retract the ob servation. This he refused to do, and was accordingly fined £2O for contempt of court. Mr, Pater alleged that be had acted bona fide, and according to his discretion. Mr. Denman said that the reason of the application being made to this court was, that the fine had not yet been estreated into the Court of Exchequer, which he wanted not to be done until Michaelmas next. Mr. Justice Blackburn—For a rule nisi, almost the only point is, whether we have jurisdiction. The learned counsel said that he would address himself tO the question of jurisdiction. In the absence of any sta tutory enactment, the fines are generally estreated into the Exchequer. In this case proceedings had been taken under the 3d Geo. IV., cap. 46, sec. 2, according to which the fine had been entered on the roll of . quarter sessions, and the roll delivered to the sheriff, whose duty it was to levy. He submitted that the court had jurisdiction, where fines had been imposed for contempt cf court, to take notice of what the contemptuous words were, and he cited a case in support. The Lord Chief Justice—But in that case the alleged contempt was refusing to do what the party refusing could not legally be compelled to do. Mr. Justice Blackburn—Do you draw any distinction between a superior and inferior court in cases of fines ? Mr. Denman—Yes. A case was then cited in which a rule nisi had been granted in, as it was alleged, an analogous, case ; and in another case it was held that all the facts ought to be set out by the inferior court by which the fine had been im posed. The Lord Chief Justice—ln this case the facts have not been set out, but the court is in full possession of them, for they are contained in the affidavits which have been read. Their lordships ultimately, deeming the case to be one of the gravest importance, as affecting the position of advo cacy, granted a rule nisi fot the more full discusseion of the question. COUNTRY MARKETS. BIRMINGHAM-THURSDAY. There was a less supply of English wheat to-day, and the turn in price was favour of the seller; but we make no alteration in our quotations. Barley unaltered. Oats and beans were rather adv onccd in price. Peas ruled firm. —English wheat was sold at 40s to 46s for white, and 36s to 43s per 36 stone for red. Barley, new malting, 30s to 38s per qr; grinding, 24s to .28s Oats, old, 22s to 30s per 30 stone; Irish, 18s to 245. Beans, ifs to 40s per qr. Peas, 32s to 42s per 36 stone. BURTON-ON-TRENT-THURSDAY. Old white wheat..42s to 45s I Old red wheat, to 43a New do. 41s to 45s I New do. ..363 to 40a Malting barley...32s to 36s I Oats l9s to 288 Grinding d0.....27s to 30s I Beans 36s to 428 MANCHESTER—THuRspAr. A very slender attendance at our market to-day, end English wheat met with a limited sale, at previous quo tations. Flour less pressed for sale, with a slow demand. Oats and oatmeal mere in better request, and prices rather in favour of sellers. English beans 6d per quartet higher in value, and Egyptian were firm. Indian corn unaltered. BRISTOL-THURSDAY. English wheat in moderate supply this morning, and at about the currency of this day week. Other articles not materially altered. EDINBURGH GRAIN-APRIL 27. To. , day there was a fair supply of grain, which met a slog sale at about last week's prices. Whea.: on the top Is Od up ..average is 3d up. B ar l e y 0 .0 the top is 6d down .average Os 6d down. Oats on the top Os 6d up .......average Os 7d up. B e ans on the top Cs 6d down„ .......average Os 713 down. Avei age Prices. Wheat.. Barley 3os 103 Beans 33s 2,1 Total s.: l Pply and Sales. Wheat BB9 ti rs Sold 585 qrs 8ar1ey........ 637 qrs. Sold 417 qrs Oats Beans 322 qrs.... •.. Sold 222 qrs Flour sells as follows :—Whites, 3‘.'s Od ; extras, 37s Od ; superfine, 35s Od ; fine, 33s Od. THE BATTLE OF LEwEB.—A comm.ittee of the inhabitants of Lewes has been organised to adoi. t measures for celebrating the 600th anniversary of the batt:e fought at Lewes in 1261 between Henry 111, and the barony, which resulted in the triumph of constitutional liberty and the permanent establishment of representative government. The volunteers of the district will be invited to a dinner at the Comity Hall on May 14. [ADVENTISEMENT.]—COIISIIMptiOII, all nervous, bilious, liver, and stomach complaints, in every stage, are only ag gravated and accelerated by drugs of every description, but perfectly curable by Du Barry's health restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which pad been considered hopeless. We quote a few.—Cure No. 02,914. Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cured after the medical men had abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stage Of Pulmonary consumption, with fearful cough, expectoration. exhaustion, spitting of blood, perspirations, hollow cheek's, emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a perfectlr healthy, blooming, fleshy girl,—N. Lange, Commissaire de Police. Cure, No. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Friroley' Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement, and partial deafness.—Cure, No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion. gatherings, low spirits, and nervous laacies.—Cure, No. 54,816. The Rev. James T. Cam? boll, Fakenham, Norton, of indigestion and torpidity of the liver, which had resisted all medical reatment. In tins, 11b, 2s 9d ; 21b, 4s 6d ; 51h. lls; 121 b, 225; 241 b, 40s. Barry sin Barry and Cu., No. 77% Regent-street, London ; also Fortnum and Mason ; and al4 grocers and chemists in every town of the United Kingdom, Births. DALItYMPLE.—On the 27th inst., at Ellisten, St. Boswells' N 8., the Hon. Mrs. Dalrymple, of a son. Fox.—On the 28th inst., at the Vicarage, Romford, tbf wife of the Hey. E. Fox, of a daughter. STEWARD.—On the 27th inst., at. Southsea, the wife of Captain E. H. Steward, R.E., of a son. STEVENSON.—On the 27th inst.. at 46, Upper Hyde-park" gardens, the wife of Loader C. Stevenson, Esq., Of a daughter. Marriages. CLERK—BRAmsToN. — On the 28th inst., at Saint Paul'Elf Knightsbridge, Major Edward Clark, fifth son of the Right Hon. Sir George Clerk, Bart., of Penicuick Hausa N. 8., to Emma Alice, the youngest daughter of T. W . ' Bramston, Esq., M.P., of Skreens, Essex, POWERSCOUR'F—COKE.—On the 26th inst., at St.George' ll, Hanover-square, Viscount Powerscourt, to Lady Jul l a Coke, eldest daughter of the Earl of Leicester. Deaths. ATKINsoN.—On the 26th inst., at Doncaster, William Atkinson, Esq., of 18a, Northampton-park, Canonburyi aged 52. CRAWSIII.Y.—On the 26th inst., Alfred CrawshaY, of Dan •y-park, Brecknockshire, late Captain 17th Lan cers, aged 41. CONYBEA.RE —On the 27th inst., suddenly, at Weybridge, Mrs. Conybeare, widow of the late Dean of Llandad; aged 73, KEnsuAw.—On the 27th inst., at the Manor Hous e ) Streatham, James Kershaw, Esq , M.P., aged 68 SHUTTLEWORTIL—On the 26th inst., at his residence , Wilton Polygon, Cheetham-hill, near Manchester, John Shuttleworth, Esq., J.P., aged 76. WINTER.—On the 26th inst., at Watts House , BishuP'S Lydiard, Somersetshire, Charles Winter, Esq., a ged 47. London: Prirized and I%.l. , l'shed by IPILLIA3IANDREWS, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at I.IIE Sys Office No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the layoy, .11 the COUbli _ _ Avril 29, 1564